Chapter 8 Scientific Rev Page 1 Scientific Revolution Monday, October 31, 2005 11:02 Background "Intellectual Revolution" 17th century age of genius About Ideas, not technology Science before the Scientific Revolution Aristotle 4th Century BC Geocentric earth is center of the universe Outward more pure; crystalline spheres Natural tendency is rest Things have to be moved; prime mover = God Ptolemy Based on Aristotle's universe 80 concentric spheres from earth; angles fly around Stars were fixed points of light All heavenly bodies revolved around earth; all luminous (created own light) Galen To cure illness = to let out evil spirits Blood letting Bible Main source of knowledge Dante The Inferno (book) (travel through 10 spheres of the earth) Hell = center of the earth Middle Ages Scholasticism Use science to prove religion Renaissance 7 Liberal arts Not much science One great scientist: Da Vinci Did not communicate with anyone Applied reason to scientific data Paved way for enlightenment (philosophical ideas) Scientists Bacon 15611623 Scientific method Inductive (detail > general) Insauratio Magna (Great renewal) Did not understand mathematics Reject everything unless you can prove it Little influence on later scientists; but changed the thought process Descartes 15961650 Deductive (general > detail) Mathematician Inventor of coordinate geometry Discourse on Method Doubted all previous knowledge Cogito ergo sum "I think, therefore I am" How to prove what we know
Chapter 8 Scientific Rev Page 2 Copernicus 14731543 Polish astronomer Heliocentric earth rotates around the sun Starts were fixed Galileo 15641642 Invented telescope Moon is not luminous; starts, planets aren't perfect Challenged the church Recanted his beliefs Tyco Brahe 1546 1601 Built an observatory John Kepler Orbits of the planets Elliptical orbits; (ovals) move at different speeds Newton Principia Combined all the knowledge Theories of gravity and inertia Natural laws Invented calculus Colors are combinations of primary colors Particles of matter attract one another
Chapter 8 Scientific Rev Page 3 Implications of SR Wednesday, November 02, 2005 10:10 Implications of the Scientific Revolution Religious Implications Most scientists were religious SR: Earth not center of the universe Man not center of the universe Reduced standing of mankind Church: Everything fixed SR: exploding stars, comets, eclipses, etc. SR: Universe is constantly changing SR: Hand of Prime Mover not necessary for planetary motion Natural state: probably motion not rest SR: church is not the only source of knowledge SR: universe is mathematical in structure Laws of Mechanics (laws of motion) SR: Heavens are infinite SR: Earth like other bodies (not particularly Xn) SR: Increased confidence in human powers Dignity of man Not dependent on God Human reason Practical Implications Demand for evidence Law Judge lost discretionary powers (to procedure) Rules of evidence Hearsay (rumor) evidence excluded Legal counsel common (attorney) Belief in witchcraft ended Confessions obtained under torture less convincing Historical Scholarship Demand for evidence Collected old primary sources Paleography Science of dating (how old) Interest in chronology Numismatics Study of inscriptions on ancient buildings Questioned origin of books of Old and New Testament Miracles questioned
Chapter 8 Scientific Rev Page 4 John Locke and Natural Law Wednesday, November 02, 2005 10:30 John Locke Political scientist Basis of democracy State of Nature Man without government Man gets along Man has basic rights Life Liberty Property Social Contract Government To protect the rights of man People Have right to overthrow the government Two Treatises on Government Book about Government Essay Concerning Human Understanding, 1690 When we are born our brain is a "tabula rasa" Clean slate No innate ideas (nothing there before birth) Empiricism Environment shapes experience All knowledge comes from sense experience Idea of equality Beginning of liberalism Improve human nature by changing society Confidence in social programs All able to learn Natural Law 17th century Right vs. Wrong (Right = natural) Universal No matter of heritage, customs, traditions Discover natural law through reason Law of Nations Idea used both by Locke and Hobbes
Chapter 8 Scientific Rev Page 5 CHAP REVIEW Monday, November 07, 2005 14:11 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Scope Contributions Through rediscovery of old ideas and application of scientific method, the scientific revolution sparked a century of technological development and societal change. As the result of the scientific revolution, demand for evidence and reason challenged the widely accepted doctrines of the past and ultimately set apart science and religion; it gave man a new way to think and a new way to prove his theories Political theory Threat to absolutism Political theory Threat to absolutism Economic issues Threat to absolutism Philosophical spokesmen Bacon Descartes Who we know? Social issues Upper class only Religious issues Censorship Man not center of universe Universe isn't perfect All church ideas questioned 9. Scientific Copernicus 14731543 Polish astronomer Heliocentric earth rotates around the sun Starts were fixed Galileo 15641642 Invented telescope Moon is not luminous; starts, planets aren't perfect Challenged the church Recanted his beliefs Tyco Brahe 1546 1601 Built an observatory John Kepler Orbits of the planets Elliptical orbits; (ovals) move at different speeds Newton Principia
Chapter 8 Scientific Rev Page 6 Combined all the knowledge Theories of gravity and inertia Invented calculus Colors are combinations of primary colors Particles of matter attract one another Cavendish Woman Created scientific gatherings 10. Geographic Eastern Europe were not as scientific revolutionized Portestants were more welcoming of SR